Abstract
Oceania is meant by the area that covers Australia, New Zealand and 22 Pacific Island countries and territories (American Samoa, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji Islands, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna).
The considerable diversity among the Pacific Island countries and territories and the challenges they face are reflected by the fact that they:
·cover an ocean area of nearly 5, 000, 000km2,
·have over 1, 000 different languages,
·vary in population from just over 1, 000 to over 6, 000, 000,
·are all undergoing an epidemiologic transition from mainly infectious diseases to mainly noncommunicable diseases,
·are variously undergoing a demographic transition with gradually aging populations, and
·are generally with small populations that are particularly vulnerable to outward migration.
